Ga tre Bac, a species of bantam, is hunted by many collectors. They are small in size, just weighing half a kilogram, but they are very august and agile. The bantam is favored by many Hanoians because it is easy to raise, the breeding cost is reasonable, and it suits weather conditions and soil conditions in the north.

The chicken is raised as ornamental creature, or for fun. According to connoisseurs, a standard northern bamboo chicken usually has outstanding features such as round face, red eyes, short wings and round legs.

The prices of the chickens vary, from several million dong to tens of million dong, depending on feather color and appearance.

According to Ta Quang Quyet from Hanoi, because of the penetration of many foreign fowl species and the movement of raising other chicken species, many Vietnamese have ‘forgotten’ to develop ga tre Bac.

However, in the last five years, some people who have passion for ga tre Bac have started to collect the fowl species to revive the original habit of Hanoi people.

Another ornamental chicken, which has small weight and beautiful stature, is also favored by collectors. It is ga tre Tan Chau.

This is a native chicken species of Vietnam, originating from An Giang province. This chicken has beautiful feathers, diverse colors, majestic figure and good crowing sound. As it is friendly to people, it is loved by many people. 

Tan Chau chicken stands out with its colorful plumage. There are about 20 different feather colors, especially the long and graceful feather tail, which is highly appreciated. 

It is not too difficult to take care of the chicken. In order to have beautiful feather colors, they regularly eat rice and vitamins which are contained in vegetables. People also need to let the chicken sunbathe or sand bathe to obtain clean and smooth feathers.

One ga tre Tan Chau weighs 600-800 grams only. On average, each rooster costs VND4-7 million, while two ga tre Tan Chau can be priced at up to tens of millions of VND.

Dong Tao chicken 

This is a rare breed of purebred chicken of Vietnam that has been raised for a long time in Dong Tao commune, Khoai Chau district, Hung Yen province. This is a rare and precious poultry breed whose genetic resources are conserved.

Dong Tao chickens attract the attention of domestic and international people because of their unique legs. Purebred Dong Tao chicken has big legs like human arms, solid, surrounded by red, rough skin with four stretched toes.

In the past, Dong Tao chickens were extremely precious in Vietnam and were bred exclusively as tributes to royal family and mandarins.

When the chicken are several months old, the best of them begin receiving special care. Their legs are washed with mixture of tea and salt to increase their leg size. They have a high-protein diet to grow steadily. They even have sunbathing during a certain time of the day.

Normally, chicken eat corn, rice and fish. When release days near, they will be bred with pork, beef and poultry eggs. They also eat other nutritious food to increase body fat and have shiny feathers. Their meat has firmness, a nice aroma, and tastes delicious.

On average, one Dong Thao chicken weighs 4-7 kilograms in its adulthood. The chicken looks big and ‘scary’, but its meat is very delicious, soft and has no veins.